Discussions - Perspectives - Analyses - Ramblings

Why Webcomics will not stick

Sarah Boxer from the NY Times wrote a note on WebComics here. Sarah addresses the challenges of putting comics online, highlighting the limitations of the e-book format and lack of a viable business model. The challenges faced by Webcomics is representative of the nightmares faced by all online content developers: How does one get paid?

There are two distinct channels: advertising vs. subscription. To date, the former is most applicable towards sites with huge traffic flows (i.e. portals) while the latter best fit niche, need-to-know info sites. Webcomics, unfortunately, does not fit in either category. Comics books has evolved over time into a niche market, currently reaping a mere ~$500mn in total revenue. Apart from collectibles, comics is by-and-large discretionary spending... there's no shortage of comics materials; and particularly, no shortage of free comics online. It is thus to no surprise that no viable business model has emerged.

Perhaps comics has become obsolete. The same way that live theater and broadcast radio has been replaced by movie theaters, cable TV and DVDs, comics has been replaced by video games, animations and other interactive media. Perhaps it's not the format, but the times that has left webcomics behind.